Monday, 10 November 2008

GARDENING: AIR PURIFYING INDOOR PLANTS


Indoor plants are an essential element to any office setting and in my opinion, homes. They can add warmth, colour, texture, and they also purify the air.

A recent study by the University of Technology Sydney found that pot plants could remove common pollutants. Three large pot plants per room (that’s floor-standing sized plants) are enough to clean the air to the point where contaminants are negligible.

In 1989 a scientific study for NASA found that a number of popular indoor plants, including Dracaena and Spathiphyllum, were effective in purifying the air. Air pollutants can be a bi-product of the material in office furniture and building materials, and from air-conditioning.


Certain plants, more than others, can absorb the poisons and toxins in the air. These include Dracaena deremensis; the bamboo palm Chamaedorea microspadix, which is attractive looking, and the sculptured Dracaena marginata.


Another good indoor plant is the Sansevieria trifasciata, or mother in law's tongue. It needs little water, is very hardy, and does well in low light.

The peace lily Spathiphyllum is one of the plants that probably performs the best in low light conditions. Leave it in a room without any windows and it will survive on artificial light.


Aglaonema is a beautiful plant that also does well in low light and is in the top10 most popular plants that remove toxins from the air. Different varieties include ‘Silver Queen’ and ‘Silver King’ - so named because of the silver mottling in the leaves.


Yuccas are an in-vogue plant at the moment. In fact many plants with angles are popular. Look out for Yucca elephantipes which looks good in a pot, but try a combination of three different sizes in the same pot. These plants look especially good in boardrooms and reception areas.

Happy gardening.

9 comments:

Family First said...

My MIL has lots of plants and the only one i recognise is her tongue! hahahaha.

Family First said...

its true .. no joke .. we really have it in our home, hahaha.

lubnakarim06 said...

Wow nice and informative info.

Anonymous said...

Hai Vin..ohh..are u away for holiday? Have a nice holiday..I do admire green plants and those tounge plants have their different name, right? Crocodile tounge (long leave), MIL tounge (very short one right?) and also ghost tounge (we called it Lidah Jin..hehe)

Jan said...

Great post - very informative.

Usha said...

Very informative post...

lubnakarim06 said...

Suprise Weekend Bonanza waiting for you.

Sayang Suhana said...

hi dearesst...miss me?..haven't been here for so long...u've got green fingers, I suppose?....miss yr cooking..

VG said...

Hi Joanna - very witty...better not let your MIL see your comment or you would be in big trouble!!! LOL.

Thank you Lubna and my sincere thanks also for the plethora of awards you have given me, kiss kiss hug hug.

Hi Kak Ummi - yes, I have been on holidays. We had a great time and felt so sad when we had to come back. No choice lah, our pockets were getting dry. If only I could have found a money tree, he!he! And yes, you are spot on. Those plants do have different names.

Thank you Jan and Usha. Glad you found the posting informative.

Dearest Ana - Miss you??? For sure. And I missed your cooking too. Don't worry, I will start putting up recipes in the next few days. Watch this space, okay?